Square footage

The total floor area of a house, typically measured between the inside faces of exterior walls and excluding garages, porches, and unfinished basements.

Why it matters

Square footage is the headline number on every house plan listing, but the calculation method varies. Some builders include the garage; others don't. Some count finished basements; others don't. The ANSI Z765 standard defines a consistent method for measuring living area, but most marketing copy doesn't follow it. Always ask the plan provider whether the listed square footage matches ANSI Z765, and what is included or excluded.

Best practices

Compare plans only after normalizing the square footage to the same standard. A 2,000 sq ft plan that excludes the garage is bigger than a 2,200 sq ft plan that includes it. Get the floor plan PDF and measure rooms yourself before purchase to confirm the listed totals match the drawings.

Frequently asked

Does square footage include the garage?

Under the ANSI Z765 standard, no. Garages are reported separately as 'garage square footage.' Many builder marketing materials roll the garage into the headline number to make plans look bigger; this is misleading but legal.